BSI Chapter 64 The Turks offered sacrifices to the heavens; with the right time, place, and people, they
Chapter 64 The Turks offered sacrifices to the heavens; with the right time, place, and people, they
Did the Sui Dynasty people venture deep into the heart of the Turkic lands?
That's impossible.
Ashina Duobi could refute other points, but he couldn't refute Shibi Khan's words at all.
Today, the Turkic royal court has over 300,000 cavalry and countless remaining troops.
Even if the Sui Dynasty generals had ten times the courage, the enemy wouldn't dare to come and die.
"The time is almost up; prepare to proceed to offer sacrifices to Heaven!"
Shibi Khan donned an extremely solemn animal-patterned robe and was the first to emerge from the royal tent.
"Greetings, Khan!"
In an instant, the surrounding leaders shouted in unison.
"Um."
Shibi Khan took the scimitar handed to him by his personal guard and slung it around his waist.
"Khan, how many men should we take on this expedition?"
Ashina Silifushe stepped forward and spoke.
"Five thousand Turkic wolf cavalry will suffice."
After pondering for a while, Shibi Khan finally spoke.
After all, they were going to offer sacrifices to the heavens, not to fight a war.
What's the point of taking 300,000 men?
Five thousand people going through the motions, just to demonstrate the strength of our tribe in front of the leaders of other tribes, is enough.
"Please raise the wolf-head banner!"
With a loud shout, the wolf-head banner, hailed as a symbol of honor and status, appeared before all the leaders.
At that moment, everyone present held their breath.
Shibi Khan mounted his warhorse, took the wolf-head banner with one hand, and raised it.
"Offer sacrifices to Heaven, let's set off!"
Then, he took the lead and rushed out of the royal court, heading towards the sacred mountain in the north.
At this moment, Lü Xiao and the others were still in a large mountain.
With only eight hundred men, a direct assault on the Turks would not be the best option.
Currently, he is still looking for a suitable opportunity to break into the royal court.
"My lord, how about I lead a portion of my troops to detour south of the royal court to draw their attention?"
The Turkic royal court was within reach, and Yuwen Chenglong was already starving and eager for more.
He could reluctantly sacrifice himself to try and break the deadlock.
"Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?" Lu Xiao glanced at him irritably, but remained calm. "Listen to what's going on outside."
Although they were hiding in the mountains, the sounds of horses' hooves, horns, shouts, and neighing could be heard coming from the direction of the royal court.
The sounds coalesced into a deep, muffled roar, causing the ground beneath our feet to tremble slightly.
That wasn't deliberately targeting them, but rather the commotion caused by cavalry from various places heading towards the royal court.
If Yuwen Chenglong's small force were to actually draw fire, they probably wouldn't even get close to the outskirts of the royal court.
They would be overwhelmed by this terrifying cavalry, not even a splash would be made.
"I'm in a hurry!"
Yuwen Chenglong found it hard to describe this feeling.
It's like, like getting married and about to consummate the marriage, only to find that he's not very hard.
Anyone could stand that.
"Brother, give me two hundred men, and I'll charge in and crush Shibi Khan to death. Even if I die, it will be worth it."
Pei Yuanqing was fully aware of his own martial prowess.
I can't say I'll come out alive, but I'll definitely go in alive.
"For me," Lü Xiao patted Pei Yuanqing's sturdy shoulder, his tone calm yet firm, "to trade you for a Shibi Khan would be too much of a loss."
If Yuwen Chenglong had said this, he might have felt that it was a fair deal or even a small profit.
But a future top-tier general like Pei Yuanqing must not be easily defeated in such a place.
"Zilie," Yang Guang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, listened intently, and frowned slightly as he spoke:
"Something's not right. We can usually hear the sound of horses' hooves and the ground shaking."
"But today the sounds seem particularly frequent, and the vibrations are even more intense?"
And the sound seemed to be coming directly in our direction?
As soon as Yang Guang finished speaking, a deep, desolate yet powerful horn sound pierced through the mountain wind and clearly reached everyone's ears!
"Whoosh... Buzz!"
The sound of the horn was completely different from the horns used in the royal court; it was more solemn and dignified, as if it carried some ancient sense of summoning.
In an instant, all the Sui soldiers in the valley, whether sitting or lying down, vanished.
They all jumped up as if pricked by needles, their minds on high alert, their hands unconsciously reaching for their weapons.
"There's a traitor among us!"
The first to react was Yuwen Chenglong, who looked at everyone present with a scrutinizing gaze.
Their journey was initially exposed only in the battle against the Turks north of Yanmen.
From then on, they were never exposed.
Even when wiping out small tribes, they wipe them out completely.
The Turks are now coming towards them; someone must have tipped them off.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm your father!"
Yuwen Huaji felt a chill run down his spine as Yuwen Chenglong stared at him.
Is he a traitor? Can he be a traitor?
The Yuwen family is all in Luoyang. What benefit would it bring him if he informed them of this at this time?
"Don't rush, take your time."
Yang Guang was, after all, an emperor and a man who had seen much of the world.
Despite the Turkic cavalry being so close, they remained extremely calm.
"Inform the entire army to prepare for battle."
Lu Xiao grabbed the Wutian Halberd and turned his back to the crowd.
Since things have come to this point, there's no need to say more.
These days, we've been sneaking into the northern grasslands; we absolutely cannot return empty-handed.
Even if it's a direct confrontation, he'll fight his way through.
Rumble...
Just as Lü Xiao and his men were preparing for battle, the sound of hooves gradually subsided and eventually came to a stop.
There was no widespread search of the mountains as expected, nor any sign of a large-scale military attack.
Lu Xiao had a sudden thought and winked at Pei Yuanqing and Yuwen Chenglong: "You guys, come with me and find out what's going on."
Using the rocks and vegetation as cover, the group stealthily made their way to a cliff edge with a wide view and looked down.
On the relatively flat and open grassland below the mountain, a force of several thousand elite Turkic cavalrymen stood in solemn formation.
At the very front of the procession, a huge banner embroidered with a ferocious golden wolf's head fluttered in the wind, standing out prominently!
Beneath the grand banner, a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent animal-skin cloak, exuding an air of authority, was surrounded by a crowd.
Lü Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.
A large banner with a wolf's head!
The symbol of the Turkic Khan!
Judging from this, the person being surrounded is very likely their ultimate target on this trip: Shibi Khan!
"Are they performing a ritual to the heavens?" Yuwen Chenglong exclaimed in a low voice as he saw the scene below.
The team did not adopt an attack formation; instead, it seemed to be performing some kind of ritual.
Some people carried offerings, while others held strange ritual implements.
"It's a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven! This mountain beneath our feet... is probably the sacred mountain of the Turks!"
Lü Xiao understood instantly.
Before large-scale campaigns, nomadic peoples often have the tradition of worshipping the gods of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers to pray for victory and protection.
This is similar to the sacrificial rites to Heaven and ancestors performed by the Central Plains dynasties before going to war.
"Great! This is a godsend!"
Even the usually impulsive Pei Yuanqing was so excited that his face turned red, and he lowered his voice.
The Turkic Khan left the heavily guarded royal court and came to the foot of the sacred mountain with only a few thousand guards to perform the sacrifice!
Is there a better opportunity to get hands-on experience?
If you miss this opportunity, you may never have another chance!